1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processor to be connected to a host computer through a bidirectional interface and its control method, a recording medium storing a control program for the image processor, an information processor and an information processing method, and a recording medium storing an information processing program.
2. Related Background Art
JP-A-8-335147 discloses a method for reserving print jobs and setting the priority of the jobs so that desired printing-out can be quickly executed.
This specification discloses an image printer which can be used as an image input unit (scanner) by connecting it with a computer (host computer), a printer for printing the print data supplied from the computer, or a copying machine. The image printer makes it possible to reserve or cancel the next print job even while a certain job (image reading or printing) is executed and process a job corresponding to the priority.
For example, the image printer has advantages that copying can be designated through an operation panel of the printer, a copying job can be realized when a print job supplied from the computer is completed while remote printing is performed from a computer, and thereby, a user does not have to wait to designate copying in front of the image printer until remote printing is performed.
However, in case of a conventional reservable image printer using the above method, it is possible to accept a plurality of jobs in parallel but it is impossible to reserve a printer when no job is generated. For example, under the state in which printing-out must be completed by a determined time, when the data for a document to be printed out or the like is unfinished yet in a host computer, it is impossible to reserve a printer and it is necessary that a job of an object to be printed is generated without any fail when the printer is reserved. That is, it is not considered to reserve a printer for the data to be prospectively finished from a host computer.
Moreover, because a conventional image printer always accepts jobs in parallel, it is impossible to use the printer so that it is used by a plurality of users in common depending on a time zone but it is used only by a specified user in a certain time zone.
Furthermore, a printer and a printing system are recently planned which starts printing at a designated time by designating a scheduled output time when designating the printing of a job generated by a host computer. In case of the above printing system, however, it is possible to only designate a scheduled output time when designating the printing of a finished job but a resource necessary for printing is not reserved. Therefore, an error of paper deficiency may occur at the scheduled output time and thus, secure printing-out is not assured at a reserved time.
The present invention is made to solve the above problems and its first object is to make it possible to reserve a printer even if a job is not generated.
It is a second object of the present invention to make it possible to securely process a reserved job by making it possible to reserve a resource used for the reserved job.
It is a third object of the present invention to make it possible to preferentially process a job of a reserver in a reserved time zone by making a specified user use a printer in a certain time zone and excluding jobs of other users.
To solve the above problems, the present invention uses an image processor shared by a plurality of users, comprising first setting means for reserving and setting a job-processing time zone, second setting means for setting a job control method in the reserved time zone, and job control means for processing a job of a reserver preferentially to other users in a set reserved time zone in accordance with the setting by the first and second setting means.